http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2012/04/tigers-delmon-young-arrest-assault-new-york/1

April 27, 2012

By Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY

Detroit Tigers outfielder Delmon Young was arrested outside of the club's midtown Manhattan hotel after allegedly shoving a man to the ground and making anti-Semitic remarks, police say.

Young was "highly intoxicated," a police source told the New York Post, when the altercation occurred at 2:40 a.m outside the Hilton on Sixth Avenue. The Tigers begin a three-game series at Yankee Stadium on Friday night.

The Detroit Free Press reports that Young faces an "aggravated harassment hate crime charge" and that Young made anti-Semitic remarks during the incident.

Young reportedly was taken to Roosevelt Hospital to sober up before he was booked and charged with assault in the third degree.

Late Friday, Young and his attorney, Dan Ollen, released statements through his agency apologizing for the incident, but not referencing any specific details.

Ollen said there were "many false allegations regarding the actions of my client and I am confident that the legal process will separate fact from fiction and discredit these reports."

Said Young:

"I sincerely regret what happened last night. I apologize to everyone I affected, the Ilitch family, the Detroit Tigers' organization, my teammates, my family, and the great Tigers' fans that have supported me since day one. I take this matter very seriously and assure everyone that I will do everything I can to improve myself as a person and player."

Young was the first overall pick in the 2003 draft, and in recent years finally rounded into a very solid major league contributor. Young played a key role in the Tigers' near-run to the World Series last season, hitting three home runs as the Tigers beat the Yankees in five games in the Division Series, and two more in their six-game loss to the Rangers in the AL Championship Series.

Tonight, the Tigers return to the stadium where they eliminated the Yankees. This time, presumably, Young will not be in the lineup. He's hitting .242 with a home run in 18 games this season.

The Tigers released the following statement on Young:

We are aware of the situation, however it is our club policy not to comment on pending legal matters. As we understand it, this is an allegation and we need to allow the legal process to take its course. It would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time. Per a provision in the Major League Baseball Basic Agreement, any allegation that involves alcohol is referred to MLB's Employee Assistance Program.

Young's arrest apparently continues an unfortunate pattern of behavior marking his and older brother Dmitri's careers. As a minor leaguer in 2006, Delmon Young tossed a bat at an umpire after he was ejected from a game, earning a 50-game suspension.

Dmitri struggled with alcohol, depression and diabetes and a domestic violence conviction before a successful comeback in 2007 resulted in a surprise trip to baseball's All-Star Game. Dmitri was arrested in 2010 on possession of drug paraphernelia but was healthy and aiming for a comeback this season.

Isn't all crime a hate crime?

Delmon Young is a head case, this is the same guy who threw a baseball bat at an umpire in the minors.

He sounds like another Milton Bradley in the making. :eek: :eek: :eek:

Isn't all crime a hate crime?
Good point!!!

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/7866639/detroit-tigers-delmon-young-shelved-undergo-evaluation

By Mike Mazzeo | Special to ESPNNewYork.com

Updated: April 28, 2012, 4:33 PM ET

NEW YORK -- Tigers left fielder Delmon Young, facing a misdemeanor aggravated harassment charge for an alleged fight during which police say he yelled anti-Semitic epithets, was placed on the restricted list and will undergo an alcohol and anger management evaluation Monday, general manager Dave Dombrowski said Saturday.

Young is out for an indefinite period after the alleged incident outside his Manhattan hotel Friday morning. He will be paid during his absence, Dombrowski said.

An independent individual will be appointed by the commissioner's office and the MLB Players Association to conduct the evaluation.

The results will be sent to the commissioner's office and the MLBPA. If Young is cleared -- perhaps as soon as later Monday -- he will play, Dombrowski said.

"This was a person that was not in a very good state as far as his sobriety," Dombrowski said. "That is not a good situation. That's all I know. I do know that he was in a skirmish. I do know that. Beyond that, I don't know anything else. Those situations themselves are concerning and not what you would like to see. If the allegations are true, that is also concerning and not something you'd like to see happen. I do not know what happened there."

The Tigers have promoted infielder Danny Worth from Triple-A Toledo to take Young's place on the roster.

Young posted a $5,000 bond at a brief hearing in Manhattan court Friday and was released less than an hour before the Tigers' game against the Yankees. He faces a misdemeanor aggravated harassment charge that entails targeting someone for his or her religious beliefs. If convicted, he could face up to a year in jail. Young is due back in court May 29.

Wearing a dark suit, Young said nothing during his arraignment.

In a statement, however, Young said: "I sincerely regret what happened last night." He apologized to the Tigers' owners and organization, his teammates, family and Detroit fans.

"I take this matter very seriously and assure everyone that I will do everything I can to improve myself as a person and player," Young said.

Dombrowski said he got a call in his hotel room some time between 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. ET Friday.

"I was there that night," Dombrowski said. "I do know that some things that have been written (in the media) are not accurate. I do know that. I'm not getting into what they are."

By the time Dombrowski got to Young's room, police already were in his room.

"You never like to see it happen, but it does happen as part of society," Dombrowski said. "(But) I'm not defending him."

Young's defense attorney, Daniel J. Ollen, said accounts of the fight have varied. He said there was video, which he hasn't seen, that showed someone in another group of people saying something to Young before the scuffle.

"He clearly reacted to something that was said to him," Ollen said.


Mike Mazzeo is a regular contributor to ESPNNewYork.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.